Tag Archives: turkeys

Once again, my pathway was blocked by a flock of turkeys

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On a recent trip to a nearby state, I was driving on a country two lane road near dusk. The road had some small hills and I was going about 55 mph. In the distance I could see something in the roadway. It looked short. It did not cast much of a shadow. What was it? I slowed down as I neared and then I recognized the unmistakable shape: turkeys!

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This is not my first encounter with turkeys while moving a wheeled vehicle. The first time occurred years ago while bicycling through a local forest preserve in the late afternoon.

The turkeys acted similarly in both situations: they stood there, not making much noise, blocking the way forward. On this road, I honked several times as I neared a stop. The turkeys finally looked up and then scampered off the asphalt and into the tall grass next to the road.

I do not know how much experience wild turkeys have with cars. They did not seem particularly interested in the presence of a vehicle. They were doing their thing and I until I was very near and made some noise, they did not look like they wanted to move.

I am now curious when I will again encounter turkeys in my way. I do not have many vehicle options left; I rarely, if ever, use a scooter or skateboard. I do not skate. Where will I next nearly run into a flock of turkeys?

Searching for wild turkeys in suburbia

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Stories about wild animals in suburbia are all over the place. Bears. Coyotes. Bison. Bald eagles. How about adding turkeys to the list?

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I began to see the birds walking on the streets of Wheaton in small groups. I had never seen wild turkeys in a residential area before. I quizzed people about the birds and nobody in the area was surprised by their presence.

I asked people from out of the area about the birds and they thought I was insane. I carried photos I had taken in my neighborhood to prove my sanity. People could not believe the Wheaton turkeys truly existed.

The reason this story caught my eye was because of my own encounter years ago with a rafter of turkeys along the Prairie Path. Because I came upon the turkeys quickly and then passed through them, I did not have much time then – nor have devoted attention since – to considering where the turkeys came from or where they went. The county has a lot of forest preserve land; perhaps there are turkeys all over the place in those spaces?

The sight of wild creatures in the suburbs may astound but I would guess many suburbanites would be hard pressed to show where animals live in the suburbs. They might be able to find the rabbits that live under their deck but where did that fox come from? Or where do those Canadian geese go at night? Does that circling hawk live nearby? And so on. The suburbs may offer their residents proximity to nature but that nature can be elusive.

Cooking a turkey, carving a turkey as individual or communal events

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When many people in the United States prepare a turkey today, do they get the turkey ready to cook alone or with other people? How about when carving the turkey?

How many people gather around the turkey preparing it to go into the oven or onto the grill or into a fryer? Or is this more commonly a solo activity?

It might be different for the carving. Does this take place at the table or off in the kitchen? Does just one person get to wield the tools to carve the turkey?

Gathering for the meal is more communal. Thanksgiving is pitched as a family holiday. Does that familial interaction extend to the food preparation? Is it different for the turkey compared to other food items on the Thanksgiving table?

That time I almost had to ride my bike forcefully through a flock of wild turkeys

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For a season in college, I rode regularly on the Prairie Path through a more rural area. One day, I made my way down the quiet path at a fairly rapid pace. Up ahead, I spotted something obstructing the roughly six foot wide path. I could not make out what it was.

As I got closer, I could see the obstruction was moving. It was not one obstruction; it was a group of something. I had occasionally seen wildlife along the edges of the path. I had seen plenty of people. Do all the dogs walked along the path count? This was something different.

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It was a flock of turkeys and they were blocking the path. Would they move? They did not seem to take much notice of my approach. Could I ride through?

I do not recall exactly what happened next. I slowed down a bit. I may have made some noise. The turkeys moved a little. Just enough so that I could ride through at a few miles per hour. They look at me, I looked at them. And then I was back on a quiet path with a few more miles to go before reaching my destination.

Even though I have ridden that part of the Prairie Path dozens of times, I have only encountered a group of turkeys once. And we both lived to tell the tale.